Stumped, pulling a stump

[Pilot]

3 stumps, 2 are Douglas-fir and the third is a noble. Got the DF's out, but the noble is really tough. All about the same size. DF's had a few large roots, one of which was about 8" in diameter from a 14" stump. The noble has many, many smaller roots, the largest so far only about 3". I've dug around the perimeter and cut all the roots down to about 10" below ground level and about 6" under the edge of the stump. Having trouble digging farther under the stump--hard soil and root stubs in the way--but I have cut all the roots I can find.

Worked it over with the bucket on my JD 770 (about 26hp) and it doesn't even quiver. Worked around it with my spring tooth cultivator and it made no difference.

Took the hose and washed away all the soil I could under the edges of the stump, but haven't gotten back to it yet as I am waiting for the mud to dry a little. That didn't reveal any more roots that I hadn't already cut.

Supposedly, noble doesn't develop much of a tap root--according to a prominent ecologist. However, I am not sure this is correct.

Besides dynamite, does anyone have any other ideas?

 

[bcp]

Best thing for exposing roots is a pressure washer. It helps to have a trench to drain the water away so it doesn't get in the way.

I never worked with a Noble fir, but some Douglas firs have big tap roots and some have none. It may have to do with how much wind they get.

Bruce

 

[whirly]

I'll bet that noble is going to have a tap root going straight down.

 

[cartod]

Is there enough tree above the stump to get leverage on it? You may want to trench around the stump and soak it for a couple days.

I had to call in the pros with an excavator and dozer for mine.

 

[Tig]

My tractor and truck are useless for stump pulling other than to use as an anchor for a "come along" winch.
With the come along I can put a couple tons of pressure on the stump and roll it out of the hole.
I leave the stump a bit tall if I can and then I dig and cut/chop all visible roots. Chain it over the top and crank on the come along as much as I can. Then I dig on the far side of the stump and cut some more. Crank again, dig and cut again. The stump will slowly tilt and roll, some roots will just break. I've pulled 18" spruce stumps like this. It's still hard work but it gets the job done.
One note, choose and watch your chains carefully. I had a hook straighten out on me and the come along was launched out of my hands towards the stump. No injuries or collateral damage, but it was an eye opener. I should have seen it coming. The chain that failed was a tow chain. I only used my grade 70s after that. No more weak links.

 

[big daddy ray]

a sawszall with a long rough cut blade works well

 

[Pilot]

Some good ideas there. Don't have a sawszall and don't have much need for one, but I just got a Harbor Freight ad...

Tried the come along, but mine is only rated for 1 ton and it didn't budge it.

BTW, the stump at ground level is almost 24" in diameter and the height is about 30".

The mud dried enough to work the area again and I chuncked away at the dirt between the roots with a crowbar and have found a tap root. Hard to reach, but I wonder about burning thru the root with a propane torch? Anyone ever try this?

 

[whirly]

There is another option ... burn it. There is a recent thread on burning stumps out:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/250098-stump-removal-diesel-fuel-burn.html

 

[czechsonofagun]

Thats what I was going to say. Get few bags of charcoal and burn it down. Charcoal burns hot and it will clean the stump to the ground level and tahts all you need.

My $0.02

 

[RobertBrown]

I thought that the "hose /sawzall" method was mine....ingenious as it is.....I've had great results with that but I have different trees and different soil conditions.
24" is what I would call a good sized stump maybe too big for the rudimentary methods described.
I guess the next question is: "How much time do you have" Is this holding up a bigger project?
Now that you have it exposed and cut, It should dry over time. I've had trouble getting some stumps to burn and I have no idea how much resin/moisture is in a "noble". I'm not familiar with that tree.
It will burn better after it dries out a little.

 

[mikehaugen]

I think once you had a sawzall you would be surprised how many uses you have for it. It may not help you here however. A 24" stump cut flush with ground is probably not worth trying to pull out. As suggested, burning is probably your best bet. If you have a drill, find some big auger bits and drill some holes down into it to help it dry faster and probably burn faster as well.

 

[Pilot]

I like the burning idea, except the state is under burning restrictions; we've had no rain for a couple months. In reality there is no wildfire risk with my situation, but people see smoke and call it in.

Getting these stumps out is part of a project to expand our lawn. By the time we get enough rain to allow burning, the soil will be too wet to put machinery on.

The sawsall is looking like a better option for now. Didn't make it to HF--finished other business too late.

 

[k0ua]

+1 on the sawzall.. I have an old Ryobi I got at Sears about 25 years ago.. it is not as good as a real Milwaukee sawzall but it has worked for me all these years. They are really worth having. You can cut a lot of metal up with them too with the right blade, beats the heck out of a hacksaw.

James K0UA

 

[RobertBrown]

I don't think anyone would regret the recip saw purchase.
Personnally, I would forego the HF choice for this tool. For me, it exceeds the number of moving parts/switches allowed for my own quality assurance policy.
In your case, it might be the right choice as you will be using it under adverse conditions. I would pay cash and get a receipt. If you use a credit card your refund is store credit.
Be sure and see the HF tools that don't suck thread, there may be some reviews on it

 

[jmpbuffalo]

I rented a stump grinder for a bunch of smaller trees (all less than 18" diameter) on one of my properties. It was easy to use and you gan grind several inches below ground level. I did 6 or 8 trees, plus some bushes, in about 6 hours. I don't remember what it cost but probably about $120 five years ago.

 

[Pilot]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Decision: Prep all the area I can, leaving a small area around the stump. Seed the grass. Burn the stump after the rains start and burning is allowed. Prep the remaining area for grass by hand.

I liked the sawsall idea (hey, another tool!), but in digging around under the stump some more, I found another major root that I would have trouble cutting with a sawsall--it seems to be a good 6" and hard to reach.

 

[dave1949]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Decision: Prep all the area I can, leaving a small area around the stump. Seed the grass. Burn the stump after the rains start and burning is allowed. Prep the remaining area for grass by hand.

I liked the sawsall idea (hey, another tool!), but in digging around under the stump some more, I found another major root that I would have trouble cutting with a sawsall--it seems to be a good 6" and hard to reach.

I wonder what an air chisel would do to those roots? I've always wanted to find an excuse to buy one of those. Would take a pretty good compressor, but they sell those too :laughing:

 

[k0ua]

Well they don't sell dynamite to just anyone these days, but when I was a little boy, I used to watch my Dad blow em sky high. It was quite a show for a little guy He never seemed to need more than 1/2 of a stick.

James K0uA

 

[Pete Judd]

Yep, K0ua, I remember the days that we could buy dynamite at the feed store, and the caps as well. As long as we had the dynamite in the trunk and the caps in the glove box no problem. That and a spriging rod to blow a hole under a stump with a half stick, pack in a couple of bags of 20-0-0 some diesel, and another 1/2 stick of 50 percent, we were good to go. Just raised the stump above ground level. Easy to drag off, and almost no dirt on the roots. I have other fun stories about what we did with the stuff as a kid.

But now, depending on the size and the kind, will ether take them down to the ground, drill holes Cut a hollow in them with the chainsaw, ( If you are a novice with a chain saw might not be the best thing to do). Fill with dirt and plant flowers (they rot out very fast that way) or leave them tall, 5-6 feet to get some leverage on them and will use a sawzall, and the genset, to pull them over. The second is a pain. I am looking at that in the next few days on a 25 YO wild cherry and a Doug fir that is about 20 -24 inches at the base of the trunk. No hurry on getting the stumps out as long as I can mow around or over the top of them.

 

[CurlyDave]

I wonder what an air chisel would do to those roots? I've always wanted to find an excuse to buy one of those. Would take a pretty good compressor, but they sell those too :laughing:

I have tried air chisels, and they don't work very well at all, at least for me.

I rented a stump grinder at Home Depot that worked very well.